Back in the Lab
by mustlovecat
Summary: Lindsay has to make adjustments as her pregnancy progresses. DL One shot.


**A/N **This precedes my last fic, Moving On.

**Disclaimer** I own nothing related to CSI:NY.

"Boom! That's what I'm talkin' about," Danny announced aloud to no one but himself as he took a second look through the microscope.

"Hey, Messer, tell me you got good news," Don requested as he walked into the lab.

"We got the boyfriend. The trace on the coat matches the soil sample from the back of his 'Vette."

"Perfect. Let's go pick him up."

Danny took off his lab coat and hung it up on the hook by the door, then the two men headed towards the elevator, both anxious to make this particular arrest. The case had been going on for days and there had been more than a few instances when the men feared it was going to turn cold.

They were waiting for the elevator, discussing the Mets poor performance the night before when they saw Lindsay tear out of Mac's office like a tornado, clearly upset.

"Uh, maybe you'd better go on ahead without me," Danny suggested, his eyes following his wife as she stalked down the corridor towards their shared office.

"Maybe _you'd_ better come with and let her cool off. Collaring the son-of-a-bitch who killed his girlfriend seems like nothing compared to walking into _that_. Was it just me, or did she look like she could take the entire Giants first-string without breaking a nail?"

Messer was considering if his best friend was right when he saw Mac appear in his office doorway, glancing around the hallway for signs of his youngest CSI.

Taylor quickly caught the eyes of Danny and Flack, and he headed over with a sigh.

"Do we want to know what that was about?" Don asked.

"I just pulled Lindsay off field duty."

Danny and Don glanced at one another, both now understanding her anger. Messer had been dreading this day. Lindsay was nothing if not dedicated to her job and not being able to participate in it fully was not going to go over well with her, especially when she was still feeling fine.

"And what, she didn't take it well?" Don quipped, receiving a glare from both Mac and his best friend.

"Uh, I guess I should go talk to her. Mac, you want to go with Don here to pick up Reynolds?"

"You caught a break?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah. Flack'll fill you in. See you guys later." With that, Danny took a deep breath and headed down the hall.

"Should we say a Hail Mary or something?" Don smirked as he and Mac took off.

Danny found his wife pacing in their office, muttering to herself about how she was still fully capable of performing her job. "Babe?"

Lindsay glanced up at her husband with a glare. "I'm pregnant, not incompetent!" she hissed.

"And I'm sure Mac knows that. Listen, Montana, he's just doing his job. You know, there are rules and regulations within the department and you know Mac already stretched them for ya. He's just lookin' out for you."

"I don't need anyone looking out for me. I'm fully capable of taking care of myself _and_ our unborn children."

"Okay, you know what? I've stood back and said nothin' while you've been pulling the same schedule as before your pregnancy. But you're so damn stubborn, you know that?" he shot back in exasperation. "No one's saying you're incapable! But we both know that there are things that happen out in the field that are out of our control. You remember how you felt when I was in that warehouse? Damn, Linds, I never woulda been able to take it if it had been _you_ trapped in there – and now it's not just you, but my entire family. C'mon. Carrying twins is hard enough. Do you really need to add to it the stress of the unknown that comes with field work?"

She furrowed her brow. She really had not considered it from his perspective, how he must worry when she was out on a tour and he was not with her. She sighed then.

He walked over to her, reaching down and brushing a hand against her cheek. "You're an amazing CSI, babe. But you're also a mother. And I know neither of us is very good in the art of compromise, but this is one instance where it's required. We both knew there were going to be sacrifices when we decided to have a kid."

"We're having _twins_, Danny. Do you always have to do things so over-the-top?"

He chuckled. "We're both overachievers. What'd ya expect?"

She laughed softly, but then she narrowed her eyes. "Just what kind of sacrifices have you had to make here, cowboy?"

"Well, uh – I've had to watch you eat some really crazy stuff. And you damn well nearly wore me out when you were going through that whole sex-crazed phase –"

Lindsay raised her eyebrows with a warning look.

"Okay, so that really wasn't much of a sacrifice. But my time's comin'. Look, as soon as the kids are born, our lives are going to do a complete one-eighty, right? And when that happens, I promise ya, baby, you're not going to be in this alone. I'm talkin' two a.m. feedings, baths, whatever you need from me, I'll be there."

Her expression softened. "We need to find a good baby-sitter, Danny, 'cause I want to come back to work. I won't be _me_ if I'm not doing this job."

"I know. And I'm totally cool with that. But I'm just askin' ya to please, for the rest of this pregnancy, listen to Mac and follow the rules, okay? You'll be back in the field soon enough, kickin' ass like always. But right now, your job is to take care of yourself."

She nodded slowly.

He leaned down and kissed her gently.

"Hey, Dan," said Stella from the doorway, an apologetic expression on her face for the interruption. "I've got a robbery in Brooklyn. Mac said I could use you since you sent him ahead on the Reynolds arrest."

"Sure thing, Stel. Just let me go grab my kit." He kissed his wife's cheek, then headed off down the hall.

Stella walked further into the office. "Mac told me. I know this is hard, Linds."

"I don't know. Maybe it's coming from a family full of boys, feeling like I had to do everything that they did to prove myself. Being relegated to the lab, it feels like I'm being punished. And I know that's not true. I just feel like I'm letting you guys down somehow."

"Hey, that's definitely not true. Some of the things you come up when you're in these four walls puts the rest of us to shame. You're needed as much here as if you were out there. Besides, you have no idea how much all of us are looking forward to the appearance of those little ones, and taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do for us."

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks, Stel."

"Anytime. Listen, we're both off tomorrow. How 'bout we go shopping and see if we can start stocking that nursery you're going to have in the new place?"

"That sounds great."

"Perfect. I'll touch base with you later and we can make some plans. Take it easy, kiddo, okay?"

Lindsay watched Stella walk off, then she sat down in the chair behind her desk with a sigh. Seeing as she did not fit quite as well as she once had, she realized perhaps everyone was right. This was where she belonged – _for now. _"Well, guys, I guess we should settle in. Looks like this is where we'll be hanging out for the foreseeable future," she said, putting her hands over her stomach.

In response, one of the twins made their presence known with a soft kick and she couldn't help but smile. "Well, I guess you're never too young to learn. I'm going to tell you how to tell the difference between synthetic and natural fibres …"


End file.
